


Breaking the Silence

by MiraMara



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumas, Developing Friendships, F/M, Friendship/Love, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 22:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12735891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraMara/pseuds/MiraMara
Summary: After fighting an akuma that renders them silent in battle, Ladybug and Chat Noir decide that they need to know more about each other to become a more effective team. They meet up for training and become closer friends. Originally posted on ffnet. This was my first ever fanfic. I like to think I've improved a little since then but I hope you enjoy it anyway





	1. Chapter 1

Couples strolled hand in hand, while families had picnics and played games along the banks of the river Seine. One half of Paris's superhero duo, Chat Noir, sat perched on a roof, observing the scenes of love and contentment with no small amount of jealousy. How he longed for affection, both from his cold and distant father, and from the woman he loved, Ladybug.

A flash of blue pigtails caught his eye and dragged him out of his melancholia. Without a second thought the blonde unclipped his staff and leapt from the rooftop.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng often came to the Seine looking for inspiration for her designs. Today, with the blue sky above and dozens of Parisians taking advantage of the sunny Saturday afternoon, the bluenette found herself at a loss. Having sketched an outline for a dress, her mind began to wander and she sat on the bench, sketchbook abandoned on her lap and simply soaked in the sun. Eyes closed, she didn't notice anyone coming towards her until she felt them flop down next to her. Peeking one eye open to see who it was, she suddenly whipped her head around to look at the young hero.

_What's that damn cat doing here?_

"Hello Princess" Chat greeted her with his signature grin and threw an arm across the back of the bench, lightly flicking a pigtail as he did so.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Chat Noir! What do you think you're do... I mean..." she quickly backpedalled "Oh! Um... Wow! I can't believe it's you, here, talking to me! I feel so lucky!" She smiled behind her hand. "Wait, is there an akuma? Where's Ladybug?" As if she didn't know.

"No, no akuma. I'm just enjoying the sunshine like everyone else. As for my lady, I am not privileged with knowledge of her civilian life, sadly. She could be anywhere."

_Like right next to you_ she thought, once again hiding a smile.

"I spotted you here and was just wondering what my favourite civilian was doing all by herself on such a beautiful day." He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun, smiling gently at the warmth. Marinette rolled her eyes at his flirting but couldn't hide the small smile that crossed her lips. Luckily, his eyes were still closed and he didn't notice.

"Well now," she teased, and his grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Actually, yes." And he deftly plucked the sketchbook off of her lap.

"Wait! No! It's not finished." She cried and tried to grab the book back, but Chat held it away, staring in awe at the latest design.

"Wow, Princess, you're really talented." He ignored her quiet protests. "What colour scheme are you using, and have you thought about materials yet? Maybe silk? Velvet would be too heavy. A cotton blend perhaps? That would be better for a day style..."

The aspiring designer could only stare, her mouth agape as the boy in a black leather cat suit rambled on about various design aspects. She had no idea that he knew anything about fashion. But then, how much did she really know about the boy behind the mask? It saddened her how little she actually knew about someone she considered to be her best friend (aside from Alya) and partner and felt guilty knowing that she only had herself to blame, being the one that enforced the rule of secrecy between them.

Shrugging the thought away she smiled at Chat and grabbed the sketches off of him, gripping his arm to keep him still and definitely not noticing how developed his bicep was.

Chat tried to play keep-away but _man is she strong when she's determined._ He was pleasantly surprised to see a soft blush cross her cheeks as she leaned across him, which brought attention to the freckles across her nose. As Adrien, he'd never got close enough to notice just how cute she was. Not that he was interested in her that way at all. He loved Ladybug. As a model he noticed things like this. That was all. Obviously. It didn't help that she didn't really like his civilian side. She was always avoiding him and stuttering. _I wish I knew why I make her so uncomfortable,_ he wondered, before brushing the thought away.

* * *

 

An older woman, grey hair in a bun and glasses perched on her nose sat behind her desk fuming. She could hear them. They were getting louder again. _Brats, don't they know this is a library?_ She glared at them over her glasses, but as the talking and laughing continued the librarian shushed them angrily. There was a brief respite in the noise and then the group of teenagers started laughing mockingly. The bespectacled woman rose to her feet and walked over to the miscreants. Stopping at their table she glowered down at them, her eyes shadowed. The laughter slowly died to titters and then silence as they watched her.

* * *

 

Across Paris a window opened, flooding a room with light and startling the resting butterflies into flight. One man stood in the centre of the room, his hooded face stern. One side of his mouth curved up into a smirk. To an audience of white wings he begins to speak.

"Annoyance, anger, the embarrassment of being mocked. These emotions are the perfect breeding ground for evil."

One white butterfly landed on his hand and he gently covered it, drawing in the dark power and changing the insect into a sinister parody of itself. Opening his hand, the black and purple butterfly took wing.

"Fly my little akuma, and evilize her."

* * *

 

While the librarian looked down at the table of teenagers, the purple outline of a butterfly appeared around her eyes. The teens knew what this meant but were frozen in place, too scared to run.

_Silencia. My name is Hawk Moth. You have had to put up with misbehaving children for years. You are not a babysitter but are made to feel that way. All you ask for is a little quiet but are constantly denied. I can help you with this. You will have the power to create silence all around you. All I ask in return is two little trinkets. Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous'. Are you willing?_

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

The group watched in horror as purple and black bubbles washed over her body. Finally they snapped out of their paralysis and began to flee, but they were too late to escape their fate.

* * *

 

Their slightly intimate moment - _not a moment_ \- was broken by screams that were instantly cut off. The silence was more worrying than the screams. In a flash, the blonde hero had grabbed Marinette's hand, then immediately decided she wasn't quick enough and had picked her up and started to run with her in his arms, eyes flicking round for a suitable hiding place.

"Chat! Put me down! You have to go. I can take care of myself. Let go of me you stupid Alley Cat!" Chat's lips twitched briefly into a smile at that, while he ignored her hands batting at his shoulder.

"You can't possibly mean that. I can't go off fighting, not knowing if my Princess is safe. Once I find somewhere to hide you then I can battle the akuma and not have to worry."

The bluenette couldn't argue with that. It wasn't like he knew she was the other half of the crime-fighting duo, so she let him have his way, determined not to enjoy being held in his strong arms. She couldn't help breathing in the scent of leather and sweat and his cologne. A heady combination. Though her heart belonged to Adrien, even she couldn't deny there was something about this cat.

Finally Chat Noir found a suitable alleyway that he deemed far enough away from the akuma that Marinette would be safe, and he gently stood her back on the ground. Bowing deeply he took her hand and gently brushed his lips across her knuckles.

"Until next time, Princess," he breathed and she shivered as his words tickled across the back of her hand, and then he was gone, launching himself up to the rooftops once more with the use of his baton.

Marinette opened her bag and a red and black head poked itself out.

"Well, that was... interesting..." the kwami giggled while Marinette pouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but we need to help Chat with that akuma. Tikki, spots on!" and she was consumed by pink and white sparkles of magic.


	2. Chapter 2

Ladybug made her way up to the rooftop that Chat Noir had disappeared onto and looked around. Without screams to guide her she couldn't tell straight away where the akuma victim was. She spotted the familiar figure of her partner leaping and dodging around a tall cloaked individual. Throwing her yoyo towards a distant lamppost, she threw herself off of the roof and swung towards the battling pair.

Arriving at the scene, Ladybug was immediately struck by the deafening silence. The akuma victim floated above the ground so not even her footsteps made a sound. Her long, grey, hooded cloak made the majority of her costume and the hero couldn't help but think that Hawk Moth wasn't trying so hard. _Maybe he's running out of ideas._ But then she looked at the hooded figure's face and decided that maybe this was his most twisted creation yet. Her eyes were unnaturally large behind her wing shaped glasses. _Is that where the akuma is hiding?_ Her skin was white grey, but it was her mouth that stood out. Two crosses were seemingly stitched over her lips, sealing them shut, and as Ladybug watched, she raised her pointer finger in front of her lips and a hissing sound came out of her, like the unlit gas from a Bunsen burner. _Is she shushing me?_ The bluenette thought, before she was knocked sideways by another force. She found herself on the ground with a weight on top of her and looking up, all she could see was green. _How is it I always end up under this bloody cat?_ She wondered and she stared up into his eyes.

A flirty grin spread across his face before it was pushed away. He leapt up and pulled her with him before bending to brush his lips on her hand.

"My Lady," he greeted before turning back to the battle. "She has the power to silence you. I don't know if she has any other powers."

"Do you know where the akuma is hiding?" Ladybug questioned, brandishing her yoyo and spinning it into a shield. She wasn't sure if it would do her any good but she felt safer with it there.

"I'm not sure. Maybe her glasses? I can't see anything else on her but she could have a hidden item somewhere." Chat was also wielding his baton. "Ugh, it's so creepy. Like 'The Gentleman' from Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"I've never seen it," Ladybug admitted, not taking her eyes off the akuma victim and so missing Chat's incredulous look. "How do we fight a power that we can't see coming?"

The blonde hero shook himself out of his moment of disbelief and brought his attention back to the matter at hand.

"As of yet I've just been keeping my distance whenever she shushes me. It's impossible to get close. Luckily, she doesn't seem to actually be doing any damage. Maybe just the old standby. I'll distract her while you get the akuma?"

"Sounds good," the spotted hero agreed, and threw her yoyo in the air. "Lucky Charm," she called and a red and black box fell into her waiting hands.

"Is that a Ladybug action figure?" Chat questioned, but before she could reply she heard the gentle shushing sound. When she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. Grabbing her throat she pointed towards the floating woman just in time for Chat to bound out of the way. Ladybug glanced around her, trying to find a source of inspiration, relying on her luck to give her some clue as to how to use the doll in her hands, but as earlier with her design, nothing was forthcoming. She needed more time, which meant her partner needed to use his powers of bad luck to distract their silent opponent.

Ladybug tried to gesture to Chat Noir what she wanted from him but he just looked at her quizzically. She slapped her palm to her forehead and once again tried to convey what she wanted him to do, waving her hand and miming something breaking. _Maybe I should have paid more attention to Mylene's father's show_ she thought, but the cat themed hero finally seemed to understand what she was getting at. Raising his hand in the air, black bubbles started to form.

"Cata-" he was cut off from using his powers. The bubbles disappeared and he opened and closed his mouth, attempting to make his voice work. It was useless, and he was powerless. _What do we do now?_ In his bewilderment he hadn't noticed the akuma victim float up behind him. He certainly hadn't heard it coming. He felt a hand brush against his before he leapt away. _Why didn't LB warn me?_ He wondered before he remembered. _Oh yeah..._ _Well, this is QUIET a predicament_ he punned mentally. They hadn't been able to agree on where the akuma could be either, before they lost all form of communication. The only  idea they had had was the glasses. _As good a place to start as any._ Since he'd already been hit by her power and no other forms of assault had been evident, Chat decided that he was probably relatively safe from attack and that the most direct route was probably  going to be best.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though Ladybug had had the same idea and the two almost collided in their attempt to get the glasses. Distracted again, Chat only at the last second had the presence of mind to use his baton to force the librarian away as she reached for the Miraculous in Ladybugs ears. For a relatively harmless opponent, this was proving to be a challenging fight, and with less than three minutes to go before Ladybug transformed back, they needed to wrap this up.

With his free hand, Chat waved at Ladybug and pointed at her, then mimed glasses on his own face. They had to hope that her propensity for good luck meant that they would be right about what they needed to break. They didn't have time for second chances. The bluenette nodded her understanding and the leather clad boy charged the cloaked figure, taking on his usual role of distraction. Ladybug threw her yoyo, using it as a grappling hook to swing around behind the akuma victim. While Silencia's attention was secured on the cat hero who was doing his best to attack with his baton, she wasn't aware of the hero swinging behind her and was completely blindsided (pun fully intended) when her glasses were swiped from her face.

Snapping the glasses in half, Ladybug was relieved to see the purple butterfly fly free. She swiped her finger across her yoyo and it opened to reveal a purifying light. Swinging the weapon around she easily caught the offending insect and after a moment, set it free, silently waving it goodbye. Not saying her usual catchphrases was almost as disconcerting as not hearing Chat Noir pun all though this.

The second to last dot on her earrings was flashing and she was at a loss as to how to reset the akuma's magic if she couldn't utter the cleansing phrase. Then she looked at the doll she had abandoned and an idea came to her. Opening the box she looked at the back of her replica and found a pull string. Wasting no time she tugged at it.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" the toy called in a tinny version of her own voice and Ladybug threw it in the air. To her relief it worked and swarms of ladybugs flew out across Paris restoring voices to all who had encountered Silencia.

Chat wasted no time. "Well, I'm speechless" he quipped and Ladybug groaned, wondering just how many puns she had in store.

"Save it Chat, I have to go. Patrol tonight?" she questioned, having less than a minute until she detransformed.

"I'll see you then my lady. And may I just say, silence isn't..." but the spotted hero didn't stick around to hear the end of that sentence and quickly swung home.

Marinette crash landed on her balcony, her transformation releasing seconds earlier.

"I'm so sorry Marinette, I tried to hold on as long as I could," squeaked an remorseful Tikki, but the young girl waved off her apologies.

"It's no problem Tikki, just a bruise or two. Nothing I'm not used to," assured the bluenette, dropping down into her room.

A few miles away, Adrien lay on his bed and watched his kwami, Plagg, gorge on a whole wheel of camembert. A mildly disgusted look crossed his face as the smell of the cheese passed under his nose but he quickly turned his thoughts onto the events of the day. He would meet up with Ladybug again after dinner. The boy sighed wistfully as he thought of her strength, her beauty - especially her freckles, and her cute pigtails - when his thoughts drifted to another bluenette who's freckles he had also admired earlier that day. Suddenly he sat up. He hadn't gone back to check on Marinette after the fight. _I hope she's ok._ Well, there was nothing he could do about it right now, and like she said, she could take care of herself. _But, just in case, maybe I'll check on her after patrol tonight._

He reclined back on his bed before deciding to take a shower before dinner. Grabbing a towel he left his kwami to his beloved cheese, happy to leave the smell behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

After another solitary dinner, Adrien got ready to transform into his alter-ego, handing one more piece of cheese to his insatiable kwami. After Plagg swallowed the piece whole, _pig_ , Adrien raised his hand, directing his Miraculous towards the floating black cat-god.

"Plagg, claws out!" He cried and Plagg was pulled into the silver ring, turning it black.

Adrien swiped two fingers across his eyes as a mask magically appeared. Running his hand through his hair, cat ears appeared and his hair took on its classic rumpled look. Stretching out his arms, leather encased his body before his tail belt flew out behind him. Extending his baton, the newly transformed Chat Noir leapt out of the opened window.

The cat themed superhero perched on a rooftop as he waited for his crime-fighting partner. It wasn't long before he heard a quiet thump of the roof behind him. If it wasn't for the advanced hearing afforded to him by his cat senses, he probably wouldn't have noticed the sound. Chat smirked when he realised she was trying to sneak up on him.

Ladybug smiled to herself. He hadn't noticed her arrival. _This is going to be fun_ she thought to herself. Suddenly, she wasn't upright anymore but once again pinned underneath him and staring up into familiar green eyes.

"Damn, how did you know I was here?" she questioned. If she had been standing, she would have stamped her foot. Chat didn't reply but just rolled off of her, laughing uproariously. Ladybug couldn't help but smile. It wasn't often she heard him really laugh and it always seemed like he could use more in his life. A little like another blonde boy she knew.

After a few minutes Chat sighed in contentment and sat back up.

"Well, my lady, what an absolute purr-leasure it is to see you again today." He reached for her hand but she playfully pushed him away, rolling her eyes at the pun.

"Come on Chat, be serious," she admonished, still smiling gently. "We need to talk about that akuma today. It should have been easy. She wasn't even offensive!"

"I don't know about that. I take offense to anyone who shushes me," Chat replied with a grin.

"You know that's not what I meant," she frowned. "I think we should maybe think about doing some training together. In fact, I don't know why we never thought of it before. It makes sense if we want to be an effective team."

"Purr-sonally, I think we make a purr-ty good team as it is," Chat's smile turned flirtatious, "although I wouldn't turn down an op-purr-tunity to spend more time with you, Bugaboo."

Ladybug side-eyed him as he waggled his eyebrows at her, chin resting on the heel of his hand.

"Three puns in a row _and_ a flirt? That's a lot, even for you."

"Well, I'm making full use of having my voice back," he winked at her.

"Lucky me," she replied, only slightly dripping sarcasm. "Well, since we're in agreement... somewhat... how about we meet in the stadium tomorrow night, same time?"

"It's a date, LB!"

"Definitely not a date," she replied, pushing his face away with her pointer finger. "Come on, it's time to patrol," and with that, she unclipped her yoyo and flung it at a distant building, throwing herself into the air. Chat watched her go, momentarily admiring her form and sighing wistfully before extracting his baton and jumping after her.

* * *

 

After patrol, Marinette decided to take another look at the dress she had been designing earlier in the day. She had changed into her pyjamas, a white vest top and pink shorts, and was sat at her desk looking through her swatches of fabric, trying to find something that seemed right. Inspiration still hadn't struck. Deep in thought, she didn't notice the knocking at first. In fact, the first indication that something was amiss was the sudden disappearance of her kwami from where she had been reading the notes the young designer was jotting around the sketched dress.

Marinette glanced around her, noticing the light tapping sound, when she saw a pair of glowing eyes outside her window. Jumping up in surprise, she furrowed her brow then indicated up to her balcony. The blonde nodded his understanding then disappeared.

"What does that cat want now?" Marinette grumbled as she grabbed a pink robe and some slippers.

"I don't know, but don't be too long, you have to get up early to help in the bakery tomorrow morning," Tikki replied, sounding suspiciously like Marinette's mother as she peeked out from her hiding place.

"I'll keep it short," Marinette assured as she disappeared onto her balcony.

As the girl emerged, she saw her partner casually reclined against the railing, gazing up at the sky. _What a poser_ she thought with a twitch of her lips, and cleared her throat.

Chat's gaze snapped to the bluenette and a light flush crossed his cheeks as he realised she was dressed for bed and had a large amount of leg exposed, even with the robe she had slipped on.

"Hey Princess," he croaked slightly before clearing his throat, "Sorry to drop by so late. I was just patrolling with Ladybug and thought I'd check on you, make sure you got home alright after the akuma attack earlier. Sorry for ditching you in an alleyway like that."

Chat looked determinedly anywhere but at her legs. Marinette looked quizzically at his slightly odd behaviour. He wasn't usually this awkward around her. She still remembered his flirting and flexing during the Evillustrator incident.

"Oh, well, thanks Kitty."

_Kitty??_

"As you can see, I made it home safe and sound." She gestured towards herself. The boy glanced at her, then looked away. "Are you okay? After the akuma, I mean. You didn't get hurt at all?" She already knew the answer, but he didn't need to know that.

Chat looked back at her, this time with a genuine smile at her concern. He walked towards her, took her hand in his and bowed.

"Don't worry about me, little lady. I always bounce back. Besides, all the akuma could do was take people's voices. ladybug soon fixed that. She's amazing."

Marinette looked away slightly embarrassed at that, but then a smirk crossed her lips. "A silent Chat Noir. That's something I would like to have seen!"

Chat gasped and clasped his hands to his chest, feigning hurt, but secretly pleased to witness this sassy, teasing side to her. He never had the opportunity as Adrien.

"You wound me, Mari."

_When did he start calling me Mari?_ She wondered, but was glad to see the departure from his earlier awkwardness.

"Well, I have to get up early to work in the bakery tomorrow, but thank you for checking up on me. I'll see you around sometime. Feel free to pop in for a pastry whenever you like, on the house. Something to show our appreciation for one of the hero's of Paris."

"Well, thank you Princess, I may just take you up on that. I have a rather early start myself tomorrow so I'll take my leave. Sweet dreams, Mari."

Chat took her hand and ghosted a kiss across her knuckles before he took a running jump off her roof and barrel rolled over to the next building.

"What a show-off," she muttered as she headed inside.

Marinette decided to abandon her design for the night in favour of her bed. She found Tikki cuddled up there, still awake but just barely.

"Tikki, what do you think about our training idea?" the bluenette asked the ladybug themed god.

Tikki smiled sleepily. "I think it's a good idea. You can never be too prepared."  
Marinette hummed in agreement before drifting off to sleep.

After a gruelling morning in the bakery, Marinette was ready to have a nap but instead she was ladened with treats that her parents had insisted she take and heading to meet her best friend, Alya, for a relaxing Sunday afternoon in the park. Carrying three boxes and her phone she was rushing slightly as she attempted to text Alya that she was on her way. It was no surprise to anyone that once again she was running late. She made it to the park gates but managed to trip over thin air and went sprawling onto the grass. Panicking she peeked inside the boxes and sighed with relief. There was some smeared cream from the profiteroles but otherwise the pastries seemed to be intact. The sun was blocked out slightly by a shadow and a hand came down to grasp hers.

The bluenette smiled sheepishly up into her best friends face as the ombre haired girl pulled her to her feet.

"Hey, girl. You know you shouldn't text and walk. You're a danger to yourself. It's not just anyone who needs a licence for their own feet." The blogger laughed as she took one of the boxes from the clumsy designer.

"Hey, Alya. Hehe yeah, I really should know better by now."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, did you see yesterdays akuma attack? I didn't find out about it until after. It was all kept very hush hush." Alya winked slyly.

Marinette groaned at the joke. "You've been spending too much time watching Chat Noir."

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind that cat rubbing off on me, if you know what I'm saying?" Alya quirked her eyebrows at her best friend.

"Oh my God, Alya. Would you... ah... I mean... just... I..." Marinette stuttered and flushed red.

"Cool it girl, you'd think Adrien had just shown up or something. So you think Chat Noir's pretty hot too?" Marinette was saved from replying by a shout from a tanned boy across the park.

"Hey, Alya!" Nino called and Marinette's heart stopped briefly when she saw who Nino was dragging behind him. Beautiful golden hair and the most gorgeous green eyes. Not to mention that smile. If anything, the bluenette's blush deepened.

_Adrien Agreste is here, at the park, and he's smiling at me. Well, at me and Alya but it still counts. Is it possible that he is even more handsome today? How does he do that?_

The boys stopped in front of the girls, panting slightly having run across the park to them. Adrien offered them a small wave.

"Hi, Alya, Marinette," he smiled sweetly at the second.

"Oh, um... h-hi, Adrien... I mean... n-nice day today, isn't it?" while mortified at her chosen topic of conversation _is weather really the best you can come up with?_ she congratulated herself on what was really, minimal stuttering. The words were all in the right order as well which was a definite bonus.

Surprisingly Adrien's cheeks took on a light pink glow.

"Yes, sunshine is... good," _sunshine is good? That's just swell Agreste._

Nino and Alya were already deep in conversation when the former turned to include the blushing pair.

"So, dudes. We were like, totally going to just chill at the park today, take in some rays, if you guys want to join us?" Marinette watched as Nino smiled widely at Alya.

"We'd love to," the young journalist replied, before Marinette had a chance to stutter out a sentence, and she grabbed the girl by the wrist, finding a perfectly shaded patch of grass for the foursome to sit on. "And Marinette has enough pastries to go around!"

"Awesome." Nino grinned and reached for the box his not-quite-girlfriend was holding before she slapped his hand away playfully.

"Oh, that's really cool," Adrien smiled. "I hear really good things about your parents bakery, Mari."

Marinette's heart stuttered over his use of the nickname, but no-one else seemed to notice and so she shrugged it off, but inside Adrien was panicking. _Gah! I hope I haven't completely let the cat out of the bag. I didn't even think. Ok, she seems to not have even noticed. You're okay, Adrien, just be more careful in future._

The four friends spent a pleasant afternoon in each other's company and Marinette even managed half-way decent conversation with Adrien. The two had taken to mildly teasing Alya and Nino about their relationship status, or lack thereof. After a few hours it was time to part ways.

"So guys, there's that new film on at the cinema if you fancied going to watch it tonight?" Alya smiled slyly at Marinette while nodding her head towards Adrien and winking.

The bluenette rolled her eyes playfully and gave a small smile. "Actually, I have loads to do tonight. I've got a design that I'm working on and I haven't even started my homework yet," _not to mention my training session with Chat Noir tonight._

"Sorry, I'm out too. I've got a piano lesson. Have fun though you two," Adrien said with a wink at Nino.

Nino and Alya both flushed slightly before stammering their goodbyes and heading off together. Adrien and Marinette smiled shyly and went their separate ways, Adrien heading back to the Agreste mansion and Marinette to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.


	4. Chapter 4

Much as Adrien had enjoyed his day with his friends - he always had fun with Nino and it was nice to finally get to know Marinette better - he was eager to join his lady this evening for training. The opportunity to spend the prolonged time with Ladybug, alone, with no akuma distracting them was one not to be sniffed at. It sounded like heaven.

Marinette hadn't been lying. She really did have homework to do, and that dress design was still playing at the back of her mind, but she was eager to get to training that night. She couldn't deny the chance to become a better fighting team was a draw, and it would be nice to spend more time with Chat. There was definitely more to be learned about the boy she called her best friend, and she felt she had been a bad friend for not even trying to get to know him a little better. She quickened her pace and hurried home.

* * *

 

The sun was setting as the heroes stood in the stadium hours later. Now that they were here, they realised that they had not actually planned what exactly 'training' entailed. The two of them stood there looking sheepishly at one another, both desperately trying to think of an idea on how exactly to proceed.

"Well, short of finding someone to stand in as an akuma, how about just for tonight, we practice against each other?" Ladybug was the one to pose the suggestion. Chat could only stare mutely at her, his mouth hanging open. Before he could form a protest the spotted hero raised her hand. "Do you have any better suggestions? It would give us a better feel for each other's abilities. We don't need to attack each other properly. Just kind of... tag each other. Try to avoid being touched by the other while trying to get as many hits yourself." Chat looked a little easier at her explanation.

"Okay," he agreed, "let's make it a game. First to... five touches wins. What will the prize be?"

Ladybug smirked at him. "Let's just see who wins first shall we?"

Chat's smirk matched hers as he brought himself nose to nose with the polka dot clad girl. "You're on," he said, while Ladybug stood there with a slightly dazed expression at his proximity. She was soon snapped out of this when she felt his finger bop her nose. "First touch," he cackled, and using his baton he launched himself backwards away from her.

"I wasn't ready!" She yelled at his retreating form. "Stupid cat," she grumbled under her breath before calling down to him, "some ground rules. We can't use our weapons to tag each other."

"Okay," he called back, "and after a tag, there should be a ten second break where neither of us can touch the other, or this thing will be over before it starts."

"Agreed," she nodded. "And I think you've more than had those ten precious seconds. You won't get me so easily next time."

Chat's grin widened. This was going to be fun.

* * *

 

The pair stood there panting, staring down the field at one another. They were at four touches a piece and fairly evenly matched. Ladybug had got the last touch in and was determined that this would be over soon. She had good luck and a knack for solving problems on her side. This should be easy. But the cat was quick, and more than a little daring. It had proved closer than she would have liked.

They were racing towards each other now, both with a determined look at the other. She threw her yoyo away to the left but didn't jump like she was supposed to, instead feinting to the right. Her fingertips were inches from Chat's face when suddenly he wasn't there anymore.

Chat Noir saw the bluff coming a mile away. He knew his lady better than she thought he did and he quickly dropped down before she could touch him, skidding on his knees, his back flat to the ground. His hand flicked out like lightning and grazed her ankle.

"That's five!" he crowed and leaped victoriously into the air. He heard a wail of despair behind him and turned to see Ladybug on her knees, her head in her hands. Before he could make a move towards her, she rose to her feet and turned with a small smile on her lips, raising her fist for their signatory fist bump.

"Pound it!" they smiled at each other.

"So... what's my prize," Chat asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively until Ladybug pushed his face away.

"What would you like?" she replied, "But be reasonable."

"Hmm..." he cat hero considered, one finger tapping his chin. "Actually, how about another little game, of sorts." Ladybug raised one eyebrow quizzically, gesturing for him to continue. "Well, this whole exercise was about learning a little more about each other, no?" she nodded once in acquiescence. "How about we can each ask five questions about the other. Nothing too personal, I'm not trying to find out who you are, but it wouldn't hurt to know a little bit more about each other, don't you think?" Chat looked at her hopefully, eyes widening.

"Jeez, not the kitten eyes! I can't say no to that!" She sighed dramatically. "Fine! You win. Five questions." She remembered the thoughts she had had earlier about being a better friend and getting to know more about him. It was amazing how in sync they were at times.

Chat could barely contain his excitement. There were a million things he wanted to know about his lady. How could he narrow it down?

"Well, let's start with an easy one. How old are you?"

Ladybug pondered for a moment, but couldn't really see any harm. "I'll be sixteen next month," she admitted. "You?"

"I turned sixteen a couple of months ago," he replied. This made sense. They did seem to be around the same age as each other.

Chat dithered, unsure of what to ask next.

"How about we just give each other some random facts about ourselves. Some things we'd be willing to share?" the bluenette asked, before he could ask another question.

He was relieved when she offered this proposition. "Alright then, do you want to go first, seeing as I was the winner and all," Chat grinned at the pouting female.

"Hmm... let's see." Ladybug took a seat as she considered what to tell him that wouldn't give away too much. "Okay, well, I'm an only child. My parents wanted more, but it never happened," she paused, "I help my parents out in their shop when they're really busy. I can speak very basic English and a few words in Mandarin, and... I'm really into fashion. I like to design clothes. My favourite designer is Gabriel Agreste." Chat contained a small grimace at the mention of his father's name. "Your turn," she gestured to the leather clad teen.

"Oh, um, well. I'm an only child as well. I don't know whether my parents wanted any more, although I would have loved a brother or sister. I do a little work for my father," _well, more than just a little_ he thought to himself, "and I also speak rudimentary English. My Mandarin is actually pretty good." They both wondered at the odds of them having that in common. "And the last fact about me... I use Chat Noir like an escape. My life at home is a little cold, and pretty restrictive," he looked down at his clawed hands and felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "I have a lot of rules to follow, so being a super hero frees me from that, if only for a little while," Chat smiled sadly at Ladybug and she squeezed his shoulder gently. She didn't have to say anything.

After a moment, Ladybug stood and stretched her arms above her head.

"Fancy a quick patrol before heading home?" She questioned, head cocked adorably to one side. Chat felt a grin spread across his face.

"Last one to the Eiffel Tower is a rotten egg!" He cried, launching himself into the air, heart fluttering a her laugh ringing out behind him.

* * *

 

Later that night, Adrien was tucked up in bed, one hand behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, contemplating everything that had happened that day.

He'd had a pretty perfect day. Sure, it had started with a pretty boring photo shoot at 7am, which had lasted a few hours, but he had spent the whole afternoon with his friends. It was rare that he got to spend that amount of time doing something _he_ wanted to do. It was a shame that he had missed out on going to the cinema with them that evening, but he wasn't really feeling that sore about it. For starters, without Marinette there, he would have been third-wheeling it with Alya and Nino, and that would have gotten old pretty fast. And more importantly, and the thing that was taking up most of his thoughts that night, was the amazing time he had spent with Ladybug.

Practicing fighting with her had turned out to be a lot of fun. There had been a lot of teasing and smack talk, and he was almost positive that her banter had been almost flirtatious at times.

It was equally exciting getting a little insight into the girl behind the mask. That she was the same age as him came as little surprise, but it was a relief to know that he hadn't been flirting and having romantic fantasies about someone much older. Them both being only children was something they had in common, along with the Mandarin. And that she was a fashion designer actually complemented his modelling career. Everything served to reinforce the notion that they were made for each other.

As he eventually began to drift to sleep, his tired mind began to wonder towards another young designer her knew.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the long day she had had yesterday, Marinette was awake and getting ready for school before her alarm had even gone off. After the events of the day before she was in a good mood and humming away to a Jagged Stone song that was on her playlist.

Having just stepped out of the shower she was dressed only in a bathrobe and perusing the contents of her wardrobe, contemplating what to wear that day. She could see her usual pink jeans and flowered top hanging there but wanted to try something else today.

The bluenette pulled a black t-shirt and a black denim skirt off of their hangers. She pulled out her ankle boots and a pair of green tights. Quickly getting dressed and tying her hair into the usual bunches, Marinette grabbed her bag and headed out of her room. She stopped downstairs to kiss her parents goodbye and grabbed a croissant to munch on her way to school.

Despite her early start, Marinette arrived to the school a mere two minutes before the first bell rang. She walked into the classroom and only stumbled slightly as Adrien turned to greet her as she walked past his desk. She smiled shyly and gave a small wave before turning to Alya.

"Hey, girl. I'm loving the look. Is your outfit inspired by Chat Noir by any chance?" Alya eyed her t-shirt appreciatively. Adrien whipped his head around to get a better look at his classmate.

The front of her t-shirt was edged with green paw prints, and across the middle were the words 'Feline pAwesome'. Outwardly, Adrien was politely interested but on the inside, his heart leapt and a silly grin wanted to burst out. Not only was she wearing a Chat Noir top, but there was a pun!

"I didn't know you were a Chat Noir fan, Marinette," Adrien smiled up at her, watching, pleased, as a pretty pink washed over her cheeks.

"Oh... umm... well, you know... h-he d-doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He's just as much Paris' hero as L-Ladybug," Marinette stammered under Adrien's relentless gaze.

"Well, I mean, he's pretty slick, but he'd be nothing without Ladybug. He's kind of pointless isn't he? Just gets himself thrown into buildings or whatever," the blonde boy lamented.

Marinette stared numbly for a split second before snapping.

"How _dare_ you?" she demanded in an angry tone. She wasn't shouting but she attracted the attention of most of the class. None of them have ever heard her sound so furious, and for that fury to be directed towards _Adrien_ of all people? None of them were oblivious to their classmates crush, except of course the object of said crush. They couldn't believe she was speaking to him with such confidence.

"Chat Noir and Ladybug are _partners_. She would be _nothing_ without him. Maybe he does take the hits, but he puts himself in harm's way to keep her safe. If he didn't then she wouldn't be able to do her job. He is not _pointless._ Don't you _ever_ say anything against him," she was panting slightly at the end of her speech, her passion painted on her cheeks. Adrien thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a scream from outside. The superheroes mentally rolled their eyes. As the class rushed out, some to go home, some to hide and some *ahem, Alya* to go and film the upcoming fight. In the mayhem, Adrien and Marinette both managed to find a hiding place to transform.

* * *

 

The akuma was nothing more than a disgruntled waiter who had been thoroughly dressed down by a rude customer after he had spilled some water on her. The aptly named 'Dumb Waiter' - _was Hawk Moth even trying anymore?_ \- was busy throwing food at unsuspecting passersby.

The whole battle was over in under ten minutes. Chat Noir hadn't even had to use his Cataclysm. Whether this was just an unusually easy akuma or if their training was kicking in already - maybe a combination of the two - the young heroes barely broke a sweat. After the duo were finished and Paris was once again restored, they touched their fists together as always. This time, however, they shared a warm smile, indicative of their growing friendship. The moment was brief before they headed off in opposite directions.

* * *

 

At lunch Marinette suggested that Alya come back to the bakery to eat.

"Um, yes! I don't know why you even needed to ask. I LOVE your maman's cooking," Alya threw her things into her bag and jumped to her feet. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" she cried excitedly.

The two headed out of the school, Marinette being pulled along by her hazel eyed friend. It wasn't long before they were coming through the bakery door.

"Salut, Papa," Marinette called out to her father who was manning the counter during the lunch rush.

"Welcome home, Marinette, and bonjour to you too, Alya," Tom smiled across the busy shop at them. "Your mother is upstairs and I think lunch is nearly ready."

The girls headed up the stairs, laughing and joking with each other.

"Salut, girls!" They heard a voice call from the kitchen before her mother came out carrying bowls of food. Setting the steaming dishes on the table she planted a kiss on her daughters cheek before heading down to the shop to help her husband.

"Thank you for lunch, Mrs Cheng," Alya waved at the retreating figure.

"Yes, thanks Maman," Marinette agreed, eyeing the steamed dumplings hungrily. Alya picked up a spring roll and took a seat at the dining table.

"So, Marinette, what was that this morning? I've never seen you speak to anyone like that before, let alone _Adrien_!! You totally stood up for Chat Noir. I didn't know you felt so strongly about out illustrious hero." Alya, smiled slyly at the Chinese-French girl.

Marinette flailed her hands around her head nervously, eyes darting around desperately.

"Well, I um... I mean... Chat Noir deserves more recognition than he gets, I think... he's saved me more than once and I just think people are blinded by Ladybug too much to really appreciate that Chat is more than just a sidekick. He is her partner, she says so herself. They're equals. And... um..." she trailed off, realising that she had got on her hobby horse again. Alya just sat there smiling knowingly.

"I think I've figured out your secret," Alya leaned in close to Marinette's face, the bluenette panicking.

"S-secret?" she stammered nervously.

"You are totally crushing on Chat Noir," the young reporter exclaimed, pointing in Marinette's face.

"What?" she shrieked. "No I..." then she paused, trying to think of a plausible explanation for her fervent defence of her hero partner. Coming up with nothing her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah, I guess I..." she paused before saying the words, "I have a crush on Chat Noir."

"I knew it," Alya smirked. "Don't worry about it girl, that cat's a total fox. I don't blame you at all. He's pretty hot, with all that tight fitting leather? Wow," she quirked an eyebrow.

Marinette flushed red before glancing at the clock.

"Gah! We're going to be late back to class," she cried, grabbing her school bag and stuffing another dumpling into her mouth before grabbing Alya by the wrist. The two headed back to the school across the road and made it through the gates just as the bell began to ring.

* * *

 

That night after dinner, and having completed her homework, _well most of my homework anyway,_ Marinette was finally getting down to working on her dress design. She was finally getting some inspiration after her drought, and was excited to finally get the design finished and begin working on making the dress.

Flitting from roof to roof, a dark shadow made its way across the city. Pausing for breath, The cat hero realised that he had unintentionally made his way towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Glancing towards the upper window he noticed a light still burning. Chat Noir recalled how fervently she defended him that morning. _She's still awake,_ he thought to himself. _Should I pay Marinette a visit? No, go home Adrien. It's late, leave the girl be._ This resolved he once again removed his staff from the back of his suit. He held the baton vertically, letting it touch the floor. He extended it and found himself landing softly on the bluenette's balcony.

Marinette startled out of her focus on the page in front of her when she heard a muffled thud on the roof above her. She made her way up curiously and peeked her head through the door. There, dithering uncertainly was Chat Noir, half turned towards the railing as if making to leave.

"Chat Noir?" the girl questioned hesitantly. The masked boy turned his head to look at her, his look of uncertainty changing to a cocky grin.

"Well, good evening, Princess. How are you on this fine evening?" He rested his chin on his hands on top of his baton.

Marinette rolled her eyes. That's when it started to drizzle, the drops of rain quickly picking up speed. She turned to head back inside, glancing over her shoulder.

"Well, are you coming, Kitty?" and without waiting for an answer she headed inside.

Chat stared after her, mouth slightly open. He quickly shut it and hurried after the girl. Dropping down from her bed into the main part of her room, the hero once again found his mouth hanging open. Looking across to the opposite wall he was met with... his face. A _lot_ of his face. It looked to be cut outs of all of his magazine spreads. He flushed slightly, taken by surprise by the sheer quantity of... him.

Marinette followed his gaze and screeched. Chat recovered first.

"So... Adrien Agreste huh?" his lip curled into a smirk.

"Um... what? Oh... uh... well, you know... I'm really into design and... stuff... and Gabriel Agreste is my favourite designer you know. Adrien is his lead model, so... you know... reasons..." the young designer stumbled over her explanations, gesturing wildly and trying to distract him from the posters. Chat's eyebrow raised questioningly. Her reasoning was understandable... sort of.

"Still, he's pretty good looking, don't you think?" he shot the flustered girl a flirtatious smile.

She smiled dreamily at the posters, sighing out a "yeah," before catching herself again. "What? I mean, I guess... he is a model. They do tend to be good looking."

"But then, he's not as rakishly handsome as this cat, eh?" Chat leaned in to her personal space, winking at her.

"You keep telling yourself that, Kitty Cat," she sassed, before flicking the bell around his neck. Once again Chat's mouth was left agape and he stared dumbly as she moved past him. "Anyway, it's getting late and it looks like the rain is letting up," she moved back towards the window, "I think it's time for you to go home."

The hero looked out of the window at the dark sky. "It's not _that_ late... I could stay a little while longer?"

"I don't think so, Chat Noir. Time to go to bed," Marinette said, before both teens blushed at the implications of _that_ sentence.

"Then I'll bid you adieu, Princess," Chat purred, once again grabbing her hand and brushing a kiss onto the back of it. Before she could protest he had disappeared into the night once more. It was only after he left that she realised she hadn't asked him why he came to visit.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, class, today we'll be doing something a little different." Mlle Bustier pulled a bag out from under her desk. "Please get into groups of four," Nino and Adrien immediately turned in their seats to look at the girls sat behind them. Alya nudged Marinette in the side and the bluenette blushed, smiling broadly at her bench mate.

Mlle Bustier made her way around the classroom, removing an item from her bag at each group. The foursome looked at the Polaroid camera on their desk.

"You all have one full roll of film already in the camera and a spare. Today I want you to go around and capture the history of Paris. There will be a presentation tomorrow about what you have learned. Try to find an aspect of the city which is not well known. Points will be awarded for creativity and originality." The blue eyed teacher turned to face the board.

The class stared at her, somewhat dumbfounded. Mlle Bustier shook her head, bemused.

"Go!" she called, and just as if she was starting a race, the whole class was a sudden flurry of activity as they started stuffing their books into their bags, chattering excitedly and rushing for the door.

"Let's go to the bakery. We can make a plan and get some goodies to eat while we're at it," Alya grinned excitedly around the other three members of the group. Adrien and Nino's eyes lit up at the prospect of the sweets at the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

Once the teens were settled with a table full of baked goods, they began to organise a plan of action.

* * *

 

The day so far had been a good one. The four friends had visited some well known tourist destinations, as well as some lesser known historic points across Paris. They had learned a fair bit about the city they called home, and had enjoyed the chance to get out of the stuffy classroom and do something different. They had used the roll of film already in the camera, as well as a couple of pictures from the new roll but now it was time to eat lunch.

"I think we've got enough to be getting on with," Alya decided and began herding them all back to the bakery. On their way, Alya and Marinette walked together, the boys lagging slightly behind.

"Oh, Alya, I'm having the best day. Not only do I get to be in a group project with _Adrien,_ but we've spent all this time together, and I've really come down on my stuttering," the bluenette gushed to her best friend.

"Yeah, now you just need to keep it up for the rest of the afternoon while we get this project finished," the auburn haired girl encouraged. "And, since we'll be there already, we might as well complete the presentation at your house."

"That makes sen- wait! My house? My room? B-but, Alya... the p-posters!" Marinette screeched quietly, so the boys behind them wouldn't hear.

"Don't worry, girl, I got you," Alya winked at her as they arrived at Marinette's home. "Just wait for my signal," she turned to the trailing pair. "Hey, guys, I'm just popping to the bathroom.  You help Mari, okay?"

Alya rushed up the stairs to pull the posters of Adrien off of the wall while Marinette held the boys back with the pretence of helping her carry food and drinks up the stairs. The trio shared pleasantries with Marinette's parents while she desperately tried to stall. After agonising minutes which felt like hours, Marinette felt her phone vibrate with a text. She breathed a sigh of relief. Alya had done it. She knew she could trust her best friend. With that she lead the boys up the stairs.

Adrien was oddly excited to see Marinette's room in his civilian form. He didn't know why but the idea of seeing all her posters of him gave the blonde a thrill.

As he and Nino followed Marinette into her room, he was stopped short by the sight of the empty wall. _What happened?_ he wondered, slightly put out. Was this what Alya had actually been doing?

Marinette watched Adrien take in the blank space. _Why is he so interested in a wall?_

"H-hey, Adrien, is everything okay?" Marinette questioned the stationary blonde, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Miles away." He shot the girl a smile, "Hey, Marinette...?"

She quirked her head. "Yeah?" Adrien's mind went blank. There was no way he could mention the pictures. He wasn't meant to know about them. And if she went to the trouble to take them down, she obviously didn't want him to know. _Why has she taken them down?_ he wondered. And then he got an idea. Grabbing the bluenette he slung his arm around her shoulder, pulled the camera up and took a picture of the two of them. Marinette was too shocked to react, just staring dumbly up at him, lips parted in surprise and a blush creeping over her cheeks.

Adrien had a pleased grin, which struck Marinette as strangely familiar. Before she could really dwell on why, Adrien was talking again.

"Your wall looks a little bare. I was thinking maybe you might like some pictures of your friends up..." The young model was suddenly hesitant, unsure if he was stepping over the line in describing himself as a friend. She still hadn't really warmed up to him following that chewing gum incident.

His fears were alleviated when her smile broke out. _Wow, she's beautiful when she smiles._ She plucked the still developing picture from his fingers and skipped towards her desk.

Marinette looked at the photo in her hand as she opened her drawer to find something to stick the picture to her wall. _I've got a photo with Adrien,_ she squealed internally. In it she was gazing up at his handsome smiling face. _How can one boy look that beautiful?_ she wondered. She affixed the image to the wall and gave it one more admiring look, her heart fluttering slightly, before striding back over to Adrien.

"Camera, please," she requested, hand held out towards him. Adrien stumbled to oblige. "Nino, Alya, I want one of you two as well," she said, winking cheekily at the blonde next to her. He grinned back. The DJ and the blogger glanced shyly away from each other before standing closer together and smiling towards the camera. Before long Marinette's wall was littered with photographs. Some were cute and others silly featuring different groupings of the four. At one point, Tom and Sabine came to check on the teenagers who were in hysterics over a picture of Alya carrying Nino bridal style. As they poked their heads up through the trap door in Marinette's floor, she bluenette captured them in their own Polaroid and stuck that on the wall with the rest.

She smiled up at the collage that littered her wall and sighed with satisfaction. This had been one of the best afternoons she had ever spent.

"Well," her mother said, smiling at the joyful students, "are you all hungry? It's getting late, we wondered if you all wanted to stay for dinner?"

They still had to create the report on their chosen subject so agreed that staying for dinner would be a good idea. Adrien was excited by the prospect of having a meal that wasn't on his own in a very large dining room. He excused himself to call his father's assistant, Nathalie, to let her know that he had a group project that had to be completed that night and that he would be staying at the Dupain-Cheng's for dinner.

"Fine, but home no later than ten. And please, Adrien, be mindful of your diet, you have a fitting in a couple of days and your father will not be pleased if you gain weight," Nathalie instructed down the phone.

"Yes, Nathalie, thank you," Adrien replied, knowing full well that his meagre diet didn't compensate for the energy he expended as Chat Noir and had every intention of eating anything that was offered him tonight.

"The car will be there to pick you up later," she stated, signalling the end of the conversation. Adrien hung up the phone and couldn't contain his wide grin as he went to join his friends just as they were heading to the dining table.

Over dinner there was conversation and laughter and it was like nothing Adrien had ever experienced. By the end his sides hurt from laughing so much and his stomach hurt from eating so much and he couldn't remember a day when he had had this much fun. Not since before his mother had... _no, Adrien, don't think about it,_ he admonished himself and shrugged off his moment of sadness. He missed his mother but he didn't want to dwell on that when he was enjoying himself so much.

The foursome headed back to Marinette's room and created the presentation that they had to give the next morning. Marinette and Nino worked on the poster, the two being the most creative of the group, while Alya used her journalistic skills to do extra research and Adrien wrote the paper. They were satisfied with their work and finished rather quickly. By nine they were all done and Alya and Nino headed home.

"See you tomorrow girl," Alya called as Nino bumped fists with Adrien and the two of them left.

"Do you mind if I hang out here a little longer?" Adrien requested. "Gorilla won't be here until ten."

Marinette smiled shyly at him. "O-of course," _damn, I'm stuttering again. I've been doing so well all day._ "What would you like to do?"

"How about I let you beat me in a few rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike 3?" Adrien offered, a smirk curling his lip.

"Oh, what a gentleman, you'd really let me win?" The bluenette fluttered her eyes at him in a mocking helpless gesture.

The boy pulled something out of his pocket. "I think I have a chance," he parried. That's when she noticed what he was holding. It was the good luck charm she had given him when they were training for the UMS tournament.

"You kept that?" she gasped, surprised.

"Of course, I keep meaning to give it back but it really does give me good luck. Once I've obliterated you this evening, you can have it back," and Marinette couldn't help but smile, both at his cocky attitude and the fact that he had kept something she had given him, _and carried it round with him!_

"No, no, I gave it to you because I wanted you to have it. It was a gift," she tilted her head and gave him a gentle smile. Internally she was jumping up and down in glee.

* * *

 

Just over an hour later, Adrien was sat in his room, thinking about how much fun playing videogames with Marinette was. He had even managed to beat her a couple of times. He wished today didn't have to end. Now he was alone in his room. Well, except for Plagg.

"Adrien, I'm staaaarving. Do we have any more camembert?"

"Plagg, you just ate an entire wheel. You can't still be hungry."

The ancient being flopped backwards onto Adrien's bed and widened his eyes, pouting at the boy. "But I am. Please, Adrien. Just one more," the kwami begged.

An idea struck the model. "Alright Plagg, one more piece," he held a chunk of the smelly cheese between finger and thumb and Plagg swooped up, making to grab for it. Adrien quickly moved it out of his way. "But right after you've finished, we're going out."

The black creature narrowed his eyes at his charge but quickly weakened as Adrien wafted the cheese under Plagg's nose. He salivated, quickly launching himself at the unsuspecting morsel, downing it in one bite.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

 

Marinette was just putting her hair back in its signature bunches when she heard a now familiar thump on the roof. Smiling, she rushed towards her balcony, throwing the hatch wide and inviting her crime-fighting partner inside.

"Let me guess, you were on patrol and just happened past my window?" the bluenette teased. Chat grinned sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning pink.

"Can a superhero not visit the Princess in her tower?" he quipped, bowing to the girl and causing her to giggle.

"Of course, Kitty. Would you like something to eat?" she asked, turning to head towards the kitchen. The leather clad boy caught her by the hand, stopping her departure.

"Actually, I had quite a big dinner so I'm still pretty full," he insisted. "I don't just come round for the baked goods you know, although they are a definite perk."

"Oh, so why do you come round?" Marinette asked, smiling shyly at him. _Wait, am I flirting with him?_ she wondered.

 _Is she flirting with me?_ Chat wondered, surprised. He grinned mischievously, winking before making a great show of noticing the new display on her wall.

"Hey, Mari? What happened to all your posters of the Agreste model you had?" this question had been burning in the back of his mind for hours. "Are these your friends?"

"What? Oh, yeah. That's Alya, she writes the Ladyblog, you know it?" the cat nodded his ascent. "Nino is a DJ and sort of maybe _almost_ her boyfriend. They both like each other but they're not exactly together yet. I hope they will be soon. And that's Adrien," the designer blushed, "he's a model."

"Oh, the boy from the posters?" Chat questioned, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, he's great. I like him a lot," she admitted, smiling dreamily, before she realised that she had said it aloud.

"Princess, do you have a crush on Adrien Agreste?" He asked, tilting his head questioningly. "You do!" he exclaimed, noticing that she had turned a delicate shade of puce at his question. "I suppose it's because he's a pretty boy model. I doubt he has much else going for him." Chat couldn't deny that he was enjoying himself.

"Shut up, you stupid cat. Adrien is friendly, and loyal and even though his home life doesn't seem to be all that great he is nice to everyone. Even Chloe, and you know what she's like. Yes, he's handsome but he's so much more than that," Marinette exclaimed, upset that her friend was being rude about her crush.

Chat's smile only grew, and he didn't know why her words made him so happy. Maybe it was because someone saw more of who he really was and not just the mask that was Adrien Agreste, model.

"I mean, he can be a bit of a dork," _hey!_  he thought, "but he's adorable," she smiled up at the first picture Adrien had taken of the two of them that afternoon. The boy was a little blown away by her confession. He couldn't believe that he didn't know she had a crush on him. How long had this been going on. Was _this_ why she always stuttered and fumbled around him? She was intimidated because of her crush? Why didn't she tell him?

"Have you told him? That you have a crush on him, I mean," the leather clad boy asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"Why not? I think you should," _why am I pushing this?_ he thought, _I love Ladybug, I shouldn't be encouraging another girl to confess to me when I love someone else._ Despite his thoughts, he couldn't bring himself to take back his words. "Anyway, Mari, I should go home, it's been a long day and I ha- I mean, you probably have a lot to think about. Goodnight Princess," he bid and lifting her hand to his lips he gave it a parting kiss, delighting in the fact that once again she was blushing.

Before he could move away, she pulled him suddenly into a hug. He stiffened at the unexpected contact, before relaxing and wrapping his own arms around the petite girl.

"Goodnight Chat," she smiled. From the balcony she watched him hop across the Parisian skyline.


	7. Chapter 7

One group had completed their presentation and next up was Chloe, Sabrina, Kim and Max. Both boys had looks of irritation on their faces as a simpering Sabrina followed the blonde girl to the front of the class.

Max gave the majority of the presentation, his voice monotonous and matter of fact, delivering the details of the project with dry statistics. Sabrina and Kim both spoke a little and it was obvious that they were the ones who had worked on the poster. To be fair to them, the poster was pretty good, but their project was on the Eiffel Tower, which was a very photogenic landmark. It seemed obvious to everyone, or to Marinette at least, that Chloe had been the orchestrator of this mediocre production, choosing a supervisory role rather than actively participating. The lack of originality screamed of her laziness, as did her standing there, filing her nails, looking bored.

Their presentation was over quickly, but not quickly enough for the uninterested students sat watching, as several of them were fighting off sleep. Even Mlle Bustier was conspicuously hiding a yawn as she made her way to the front.

"Thank you, that was very... um... detailed," the teacher spoke, clearly at a loss to find a compliment for the group. "Next we have," she checked her clipboard, "Nino, Adrien, Alya and Marinette. Please make your way to the front and present to us your project."

Marinette grabbed their poster and they traipsed forward.

"Our topic today is on Eglise St-Etienne-du-Mont, where there is a shrine dedicated to Sainte Genevieve, who was buried there in the 6th Century," the bluenette began, feeling the confidence she usually only felt as Ladybug coming to the fore.

"The architectural style is a combination of French-Gothic and French-Revolution, which reflects much of the history of Paris," Adrien continued on from Marinette. They continued in this fashion, each taking turns to deliver facts and point out different pictures that they had organised on their poster, along with small statistics and drawings. Before they knew it their presentation was coming to its conclusion.

"Thank you for listening to our presentation," Adrien finished, and the four went to take their seats.

There was a small amount of polite applause at the end of their project, about as much as can be expected from jaded teenagers who just wanted to get this over with and head off to lunch. The teachers enthusiasm was palpable, however. She congratulated the group, beaming happily.

"Well, I certainly learned something there, I don't know about the rest of you," she stood and smiled. Last group then..."

* * *

 

Later that evening, Marinette once again prepared to head off to the stadium to meet Chat for training, having called him earlier with her yoyo. She bounced around her room as she got ready, humming along to the radio.

"You're in a good mood, Mari," squeaked Tikki, smiling at her chosen.

"Just having a good couple of days, Tikki," giggled the girl at her kwami, putting the last few things into her sports bag.

"So, it has nothing to do with meeting Chat Noir tonight then?" she asked, grinning cheekily.

"What? No! Of- of course not. I..." Marinette stuttered. "I mean, of course I'm happy to be seeing Chat, he's one of my best friends..." she trailed off.

"Just a friend?" her mentor and friend questioned her, still smiling knowingly.

"Y-yes. Just my friend. Now, I'm ready. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

 

"Plagg, claws out," cried Adrien, and he was off once more across the rooftops, ready to meet his lady for more training. Hopefully it would be as much fun and as informative as the last.

Chat landed in the middle of the stadium to find that Ladybug was already there and had set something up. There in front of him was a dressmakers mannequin surrounded by long strips of fabric, almost like spokes of a wheel, pointing out from the dummy. The spotted hero was crouched on the floor, fiddling with something that he couldn't see. Suddenly he heard a gentle whirring sound and bubbles filled the air. He laughed as they swirled around him, landing on his leather before he popped them, grinning childishly.

"What's all this, my lady?" Chat questioned, his smile apparent in his voice.

"Oh, hey Chat, I didn't see you get here," Ladybug greeted, turning to her partner. "Well, as useful as fighting against each other was last time, I thought it might be worth trying to do something with each other instead this time," she explained, gesturing to the setup behind her.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well, the idea is that the mannequin is the akuma. You can't step on the fabric on the floor and you can't get touched by a bubble. It's not too realistic, obviously the akuma won't be moving, but we can use this time to plan attacks ourselves and maybe work out some kind of system, hand signals or something," she walked towards the blonde hero. "I doubt we'd come across another akuma like the silencing one from the other day but it can't hurt for us to keep our plan hidden from future akumas, don't you think?" She looked up into his eyes and the boy found himself getting pulled into the crystal blue depths of hers before mentally shaking himself.

"That sounds clawsome. Let's come up with a few basic hand signals first then and see how we get on."

Ladybug agreed, choosing to ignore his bad pun, and so they got to work. They came up with signs for going round the back, holding positions and even for a fake out, amongst others. After the pair were satisfied for the time being - they didn't want to be overwhelmed with having to remember too much at first - they were ready to put theory into practise. Even if practise was against an inanimate object.

"Right," Ladybug asserted, "let's try this with complete silence," she looked at the cat sceptically. "Think you can manage that?" her lips twitched into a smirk.

"Oh, har har," Chat poked his tongue out at the bluenette. "You wound me, Bugaboo," he claimed, hand clutching his suit above his heart.

The girl's smirk widened into a grin. "Let's do this then," she exclaimed before the two of them launched themselves towards the 'akuma', dodging the floating bubbles as they went.

They practiced until it was dark as they could no longer see each other's hands at any kind of distance, let alone the transparent bubbles. Well, Chat Noir could due to his night-vision but Ladybug certainly couldn't. Perhaps training in the dark could come another time.

Without a word the two heroes moved to sit on the bleachers, catching their breath and taking a moment to relax. Chat lounged in his seat, stretching his lithe body to work out the kinks, acting very cat like. Ladybug tried not to stare while he did so, although her eyes were drawn to the play of muscles across torso.

Chat turned to face her and she quickly looked away, red creeping across her face. He looked at her quizzically before shrugging and looking up at the cloudy sky above him through the open roof of the stadium.

"Chat?" Ladybug asked quietly, not wanting to break the peaceful atmosphere they had created around them.

"Hmm?" he replied questioningly, flicking his eyes over to his partner.

Ladybug grew bolder, her curiosity about her masked best friend getting the better of her.

"Tell me more about you," she requested hopefully. He started, surprised that she was the one to initiate this conversation when it was always him asking the questions. "Nothing that would reveal your identity still. Just... something..." she trailed off uncertainly.

"Well, since you went first last time, I guess it's only fair that I start," the blonde grinned, sitting up straighter and turning to face her. "Hmm... let's see," he pondered. "I play the piano, I'm actually pretty good at it, I've been taking lessons for longer than I can remember." He rubbed his chin, considering, "I love to watch anime. Sailor Moon is a particular favourite of mine," Ladybug snorted back a laugh and scratched his head behind his leather ears.

"You are such a dork," she laughed.

 _Why do people keep calling me that?_ he thought to himself.

"My turn, I guess," and Chat smiled encouragingly. "I'm a complete sucker for Disney films. Both the classics and the newer stuff. I love Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, all the princess ones. They're just... magical," she sighed. "What else? I'm a complete klutz," she giggled to herself.

"What, seriously? I don't believe that," Chat disagreed.

"No, seriously. I practically make it an art form. I can trip on thin air," she smiled at him. "Oh, I know something you could tell me. Have you caused anyone to be akumatised? You don't have to tell me which ones, if any."

"Oh, um..." Chat rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, as a civilian, I was one of a few people that got on the wrong side of one akuma victim. It wasn't _technically_ my fault but we were kind of all to blame. As Chat... do you remember that artist who made our sculpture? Theo?" Ladybug remembered. It hadn't been easy to suss which Chat Noir was the real one, but as always, they'd managed to beat Hawk Moth's latest victim and Ladybug had apologised for missing the unveiling. She wasn't exactly sure why he had been akumatised but assumed her absence had something to do with it. "Well... I knew that he was interested in you and I may have, possibly, told him that we were a thing. His jealousy tipped him over the edge and he became Copycat," Chat confessed bashfully.

"You said what?" Ladybug exclaimed. Sometimes this cat took things too far. But then she smiled and pushed him playfully off his seat. "Idiot," she muttered as he yowled, hitting the floor.

"What about you then, LB? How many akumas have you been the cause of?" he glowered up at her from the ground before dusting himself off and sitting back on his chair.

"I-I... um, one or two..." she stuttered, embarrassed as she recalled exactly how many akumas she had helped make happen. "Well, like you, I was involved in one akuma, along with a couple of other people," the heroes had no idea that they were both talking about Timebreaker. The two of them, along with Alya and Chloe, had all held Alix's watch before it had been dropped and crushed under the wheels of her rollerblades.

"My civilian self was directly responsible for another akuma," _Max, the Gamer_ she thought to herself. "So that's, shall we call it one and a half as a civilian?" She looked down at her hands as she considered the others that she had caused as her hero alter ego.

"As Ladybug, there was..." she held up the fingers of one hand and counted them off with the pointer finger of the other, "Antibug, Volpina and Santa Claws."

"Well, well," Chat admonished in a joking fashion. "You're almost as bad as Chloe with a track record like that." He laughed as she once again pushed him off of his chair. Chat had actually been there for all three of those, but two had been as Adrien and she wasn't to know that.

The two once more slipped into a companionable silence.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Chat questioned. Ladybug smirked but chose to ignore that he had already asked something and instead inclined her head, agreeing.

"Have I ever met you in civilian form?" At this question, Ladybug couldn't contain her giggles, but quickly suppressed them at his raised eyebrow.

"Ah, yes, once or twice," she acknowledged, still smiling broadly, hardly able to contain her mirth. _How many times has he come to visit me this week? Twice?_ "How about you. Have I met you?" She was genuinely curious, not just returning his question. She believed that if she ever saw Chat out of the mask, she would know him immediately.

"Yeah, we've met a couple of times. You've actually saved me before," he laughed to himself.

"Actually, you've saved me as well," she allowed, with a smile, _more than once._

Chat couldn't quite believe it. He had met his lady, behind the mask. _Saved_ her even. And he hadn't known? _How did I not know?_

The two were as oblivious as each other.


	8. Chapter 8

Despite the late night, Marinette was up pretty early the next morning, and the good mood she had been in all week was still going. She danced around her room getting ready for school, listening to the radio. While she was tying up her hair, she sang into her hairbrush along to a catchy pop tune. The song was abruptly cut into by a news report.

**An akuma attack is currently taking place at the Pont des Arts. Citizens are warned to keep clear of the area. Standard Operating Procedure. Chat Noir is already at the scene and it is expected that Ladybug's arrival is imminent.**

The report ended as quickly as it began. Marinette's mood took a slight dip at the thought of an akuma attack and the inevitable delay it will cause in her getting to school. _I won't get to see as much of Adrien today,_ she thought sadly, but then her heart perked up at the thought of seeing Chat again so soon.

"Well, I guess there's no time to waste. Can't leave my kitty there on his own," the hovering kwami raised an eyebrow at her friends use of the words 'my kitty' but chose not to comment. "Tikki, spots on!" she cried as the usual light show took place around her transforming body.

* * *

 

He had only been there for about ten minutes but Chat Noir already felt out of his depth with Hawk Moth's latest victim.

The akumatised person was at least twelve feet high, and nearly as broad. His flesh seemed to be made of volcanic ash and lava, a constant flow across his skin which would drip on the floor, burning holes where it went. As he walked, his footsteps burned into the ground and behind him were piles of smoking rubble where buildings had once stood. The heat rolling off of the behemoth was palpable, even from as far away as Chat stood. The akuma was screaming and roaring, not seeming to have much to articulate. While the cat hero hadn't discerned what exactly had caused this man to fall prey to Hawk Moth, it was apparent that he carried a lot of rage, and wasn't particularly picky about who he exercised it on.

Chat dodged, flipped and skidded out of the way of several large blobs of lava, desperately trying to find out where his akumatised item was, and trying to find a way to get closer to this goliath of a challenger.

Luckily, that was when ladybug swung in. He had never been happier to see her in his life. She landed next to him and stood, slightly crouched, spinning her yoyo like a shield, battle ready.

"What's the situation?" she asked the blonde hero, matter of fact and ready to fight.

"Well, as you can see, he's enormous and extremely destructive," Chat once again leapt out of the way of the molten rock. "But I can't get anywhere near him. I can't tell what his item is, or how we're going to get close enough to figure it out."

"Come on then," Ladybug said, looking resolute. She even had a small smirk on her face that could have been a grimace. "We haven't been training for nothing. We've got this," she winked at her partner. "It's not really that much different from what we were doing last night."

"No offence, but I think I'll take my chances with the bubbles, Bugaboo," Chat quipped, but pulled his staff out and prepared himself to charge in once again, spinning his baton into a shield to block a shower of fire.

The bluenette rolled her eyes. "Come on kitty cat, don't you think this is the purr-fect opportunity to show off your paw-some skills?" Chat grinned in delight.

"My lady, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you pun. It makes me paw-sitively giddy."

Ladybug pushed Chat's face away from where it had gotten close to hers and turned it towards the hulking mass of fire and rock before them.

"Focus now, gushing over the lowest form of humour later," she ordered, and without another word she was off, circling around to the other side of her target, just like they had practiced the previous evening. Inside however, she felt a lightness at the ease with which she and Chat could talk now. She didn't need to hide so much behind her take-charge confidence that was all mask. She could be a little bit goofy Marinette as well, and he still seemed to like her.

On his part Chat was over the moon. If he could have danced right then, he would have. He finally felt like he was getting to know the girl behind the mask, seeing more of her real personality. He had fallen in love with the vulnerable, uncertain girl who had taken up the mantle of superhero, squashing the fears that he had seen in her, because she needed to be brave. And she was, undoubtedly brave. But now he was learning more, and not just the dry facts that she had supplied him with, but the way she had loosened up around him some, becoming more playful and passionate. Especially when she mentioned the things she cared about. He had never been more in love with this girl.

But right now, there were more pressing matters. And taking care of this little - okay, big - situation wasn't going to be easy.

The heroic duo faced the akuma victim, one on either side of him. Dividing his attention was definitely a good thing as it kept him distracted. He was big and strong but didn't seem to be the brightest bulb in the box. Figuratively speaking of course, because, you know, he was made of fire so literally... anyway, that's beside the point.

Regardless, being separated like this didn't sit well with Chat. His primary objective, whether Ladybug liked it or not, was to keep her safe. At the end of the day, she was the one who would purify the akuma and set Paris back to rights. And boy, did it need setting back. The destruction was the worst the pair had ever seen. It just wasn't something that he was able to do. That was all her. But there was an advantage to this set-up. If Chat could keep the akuma distracted, then he would not even notice ladybug. She'd still be safe, even if she was out of Chat's reach.

* * *

 

It was an hour later, and despite both working hard, and the two of them communicating effortlessly across very large distances - they couldn't get close enough to talk very often, while also keeping the giant in check - they still hadn't located the object where the evil butterfly was hidden. The two heroes decided to make a tactical - and very brief - retreat.

"Enough is enough. We don't seem to be getting any closer to ending this thing. I'm ready to use lucky charm," Ladybug sighed. Both of the teens had managed thus far to avoid any sort of injury, although it had been a close call once or twice. Chat Noir nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, I think we need to find a way to incapacitate him and then see if we can't find his akumatised item," Chat allowed. He had also realised the futility of their current course of action.

Ladybug threw her yoyo in the air calling, "Lucky Charm!"

She held out her hands expectantly, looking up to where she had thrown her yoyo then quickly launched herself backwards as an anvil fell to the ground in front of her.

Chat looked over to see what her luck had brought them to fight the akuma victim. "An anvil? Who are you, Wile E. Coyote? Planning on dropping it onto his head, LB?" Chat smirked to himself.

Ladybug looked around her, her vision greyed out so that certain items in the vicinity that would be helpful would be highlighted in her vision in a ladybug pattern. Nodding, a plan of action formulating, Ladybug readied herself. She shot Chat a hand signal indicating that he should use his Cataclysm on the ground between the akuma and the Seine.

She knelt in front of the anvil and tied her yoyo string around it. Then she grabbed the yoyo and took off in the opposite direction from the river. _I hope my yoyo really is indestructible,_ she thought to herself.

As she began to circle the hulking mass of magma, she distantly heard a cry of "Cataclysm!" and knew that she had to hurry. Ladybug doubled back towards the Seine, bringing the string of her yoyo around the fiery creature and drew him closer to Chat, the anvil and the river. Luckily, her string seemed to be holding strong and not burning to a crisp as she half feared it might on contact with the fire. She made it back to the anvil just as the ground behind her began to crack and crumble into the water.

"Chat, we need to push this anvil in. We need to get him wet," Ladybug instructed as Chat leapt forward to help her. The crumbling earth helped them and they didn't need to push the dense lump of metal far before it was falling into the water. Her string went taught and the akuma began to inch his way towards the Seine before he lost his balance on the destroyed earth that Chat Noir had created.

"Time to cool off, ugly," Chat called to the now partially submerged akuma, as the lava began to harden. As the flames died down and they could finally get close enough, they spotted a leather bracelet around his wrist. It was the only item on him that they could see. How it hadn't burned up was a mystery. _Magic, I suppose,_ concluded the black cat hero.

"That must be it," Ladybug exclaimed, and Chat jumped onto the still steaming shoulders of the downed villain. The blonde sliced the bracelet with his claw, serving to remove it from his opponent's wrist and to release the purple butterfly from within. Having already retrieved her yoyo, Ladybug swiped the akuma out of the air, purifying it and releasing it.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," she cried as a beautiful white butterfly fluttered away. The spotted hero then gave a despairing look into the river after her lucky charm. How was she supposed to fix Paris (and there was a lot of Paris that needed fixing) if she couldn't reach her lucky object? And even if she could reach it, how was she supposed to throw it into the air? But maybe there was another way, and certainly worth a shot before she decided to take a dip.

The bluenette threw her yoyo into the air once more and cried, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Once more luck was on her side. _I can't believe that actually worked_ , she thought to herself as swarms of ladybugs and pink and white lights swirled across the city. Then she heard a beep coming from her earrings. Ladybug suddenly realised that she was on her last spot. Her time was almost up.

"Sorry Chat, I've got to go." She looked briefly back at her partner, a small smile on her lips. The two held out their fists.

"Pound it," they cried in unison.

"See you later, Bug out!" and she swung away.

Since Chat had a little more time before his Miraculous ran out, he stayed to help the poor man find his bearings. He was a large man even in human form, and it turned out he had an affinity for breaking things. _I can definitely relate to that_ , Chat thought to himself. After one too many times of being ridiculed for knocking something over, the man had become a catalyst for the evil insect and turned into the destructive force that he and Ladybug had just defeated.

Chat consoled the man and sent him on his way before realising that he needed to find a place to transform back into Adrien. He dreaded to think how late he would be to school this morning. Hopefully his father wouldn't find out.

* * *

 

Ladybug landed in a secluded alleyway, feeling a little worse for wear but happy with how well they had worked as a team during that attack. It was the best they had ever worked together. She smiled as she leaned heavily back against a wall, hidden from the main street by a large dumpster. They had practically been reading each other's minds, the way they flawlessly fought, practically two parts of one entity. It had been amazing.

The spotted hero sighed to herself, exhausted and knowing that she would have a hard time explaining just how late she was to school. There was only one lesson before lunch, and she still had to make it back there. It was almost as if Hawk Moth didn't care that she had grades to keep up.

Chat Noir was dog tired, ironically enough. He chuckled internally at his own joke. On top of that, he was having a hard time finding somewhere to drop his transformation. Finally he found an alleyway that seemed quiet enough for his purposes. No one noticed as the dark shadow ducked down between the buildings and made to hide behind the dumpster there. No sooner had he slipped behind than he realised he wasn't as alone as he thought. His first inkling that there was someone else there with him was a blinding flash of pink and white light.

Hi eyes widened when he saw the petite figure of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng before him. His brain shut down.

Marinette had just detransformed when she heard a small gasp behind her and turned fearfully to see Chat Noir stood frozen to the spot, staring at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. _I guess there's no way that he missed me changing back from ladybug, is there?_

She wasn't as upset as she would have been a week ago though. The two of them had become so much closer over these past few days, both as Ladybug and as Marinette, and any fear she felt at him learning her identity had diminished significantly.

However, the dumbfounded expression on his face was bringing back her buried fears. He looked so shocked, but she couldn't tell what else he felt. Happy? Disappointed? Indifferent? _No, probably not indifferent..._ she thought.

"Chat, are you o-o..." She stuttered to a stop as the alleyway was filled by a flash of green light.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette's brain shut down.

All she could do was stare at Adrien as he stared back, neither one of them saying anything. The loaded silence was broken by Tikki's high pitched voice.

"Marinette, you really need to get to school," she spoke apologetically.

"She's right, kid," Plagg spoke up, snapping the blonde out of his stupor. Wordlessly, the teens turned to run out of the alleyway and head to school, both sneaking glances at the other when they thought they weren't looking.

* * *

 

They made it with moments to spare before the bell sounded. Marinette was back in class, sitting through the last lesson before lunch, and her first lesson of the day. It was maths, which was by no means her favourite subject but she could barely focus on what was happening around her anyway. All she could do was stare at the back of Adrien's head.

This didn't strike Alya as unusual, her best friend was always daydreaming about the blonde model. What the auburn haired girl did find unusual was Adrien's behaviour. The boy kept sneaking covert glances at Marinette, blushing and looking away. Then, about half way through the lesson, Alya watched as he stretched, making an exaggerated move with his arm, and then dropping a piece of folded paper onto the desk behind him. Alya was astounded. Why was Adrien Agreste passing notes to the girl who was crushing on him? _What does the note say?_ she wondered to herself, barely managing to contain her bursting curiosity.

Marinette wasn't sure yet what to make of this latest development. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wasn't sure she would believe it. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. Then again, it made a perfect kind of sense, didn't it? They were different and yet so alike. It made her happy that her best friend and her crush were the same person. But at the same time, what did it say about her that she hadn't realised the two boys were one and the same? She eyed the note like it was a snake but noticing her best friend looking at it, she decided to slide it under her arm and out of harm's way. Glancing around herself surreptitiously, she opened the note within the protection of her arm.

_Mari, please. We need to talk. Stay after class?_

_\- A_

Marinette focused her attention back on the teacher for a moment, making sure that she hadn't been discovered passing notes. After being as late as she was, she didn't want to invite any more reprimand.

Then she quickly jotted down a reply and hissed quietly at Adrien to get his attention. He casually stretched a cupped hand behind his back and she dropped in the folded note. His hand swiftly withdrew, their teacher none the wiser.

Adrien's heart was racing as he pulled the note in front of him, not as casual as he was making himself out to be. _Thank God for years of modelling_. He felt as though his whole life would pivot on today, good or bad, things would be different now. It had started back in the alleyway when he saw Ladybug detransform into Marinette. Maybe it started before that, when they faced off against the silent akuma and he started to get to know Ladybug better. If it was even possible, he loved his lady even more now he knew she was the shy girl who sat behind him in class. There was no one else he would rather she be.

_A -_

_You're right, I'll stay._

_\- M_

Adrien couldn't hold back the smile from his face.

* * *

 

Marinette got out of her seat once everyone had left. Alya had tried to stay behind as well. The journalist in her was desperately curious as to what was happening, but the bluenette begged her to leave, promising details later. Marinette walked forward before stopping in front of Adrien's desk. She nervously played with her fingers, staring at a spot in front of him where someone had doodled on the wood. Suddenly, two large, warm hands covered hers, stopping the uneasy fidgeting and causing her to look up at his face. He pulled her onto the bench to sit next to him.

She was surprised to see that he was smiling. No, not smiling, he was practically glowing. The look on his face couldn't help but warm her heart and bring a smaller, but no less happy smile to her own face.

"We need to talk about this," he started, reigning in his joy to think rationally.

"I know," she nodded. The two of them stared at each other, both at a loss for what to say.

Adrien released one of her hands and rubbed the back of his head, an action Marinette recognised as being a nervous gesture that he sometimes showed as Chat Noir. She took this brief moment of silence to reflect back on their time together as partners, putting Adrien's face in the memories. Adrien had been thrown into walls, jumped off of rooftops and nearly died at the hands of Timebreaker. Adrien was also the one who had flirted with her as Ladybug, protected her from attack and... _oh God,_ she had kissed Adrien. When he had been hit by Dark Cupid's arrow, she had kissed him to break the spell. Chat Noir, Adrien. They were one and the same, and the implications of that were only just hitting her.

"Listen," Adrien began, clearing his throat. "I know that this whole situation is a little overwhelming. It's a lot to take in, but I need to say something, something I've wanted to say to you for a long time now," he inhaled heavily, mustering all of his courage.

"I love you," he said, and her head snapped up, her eyes piercing straight into his. Her heart skipped at hearing those words coming from his lips, but then her brow furrowed.

"You love Ladybug," she corrected, casting her eyes back down again.

Adrien paused, collecting his thoughts. He didn't want to run his mouth about how much he loved her before he made it clear exactly what he meant to say. He knew that as Chat Noir, he displayed different traits than he did as Adrien, and he knew that Marinette did the same as Ladybug, but he needed her to understand exactly how he felt.

"Yes..." he agreed, "I do," he gripped under her chin and forced her to look at him. "I loved Ladybug almost straight away. She was brave and selfless and everything I wished I could be, but she was unsure and a little clumsy too. I loved everything about her." Adrien gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"This last week I visited a friend of mine, a princess, and got to know a side to her that I'd never been allowed to see before. She was sassy, funny and strong-willed, and I couldn't help but start to have feelings for her as well," Marinette blushed deeply at his words.

"I love you, Marinette. All of you."

Marinette was overwhelmed by his confession. He was right before when he said that there had been a lot for them to take in. She didn't know how she was even still upright at this point, but she knew she couldn't stand there in silence after everything he had just said.

"Chat Noir is my best friend. He stands by my side and he protects me, but I never saw him as more than that," Adrien's smile slipped slightly.

"I disliked Adrien Agreste from his first day at school. He was rich, and pretty, and friends with Chloe Bourgois. I thought he was shallow and vain and conspiring with her to make my life miserable." Marinette took a deep breath and then smiled.

"Then I was caught out in the rain. I had no choice but to walk home and get wet. And then, there you were, showing me you weren't any of the things I thought and offering me your umbrella. And I fell in love with you." Adrien looked up into her eyes, unsure if he had actually heard what she just said.

"And then I got to know my best friend better. I already knew how loyal he was, how kind, how handsome," at this she blushed some more. "But I don't think I ever really saw him until this last week. I was too blinded by my love for the shy model who sat in front of me every day." Marinette released a breath as she finished what she had to say.

"Adrien, Chat, I... I love you."

Adrien's smile could have split his face in two it was so wide. He laced his fingers through hers and pulled her closer to him.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," he whispered, their faces coming closer together.

Then there was a loud bang and the two sprang apart, whirling to the source of the noise and glared at the intrusion. There, sprawled on the floor in the doorway were their two best friends looking sheepish.

"Umm... hey guys... how's it going?" Alya stuttered, embarrassed at being caught snooping.

"So... do you dudes wanna get some lunch?" Nino queried, his face tomato red.

Adrien and Marinette rolled their eyes, chuckling over their friend's antics and headed towards the door.

"Come on then," Marinette said, reaching her hand down to help up the auburn haired girl. The four friends headed out the door.

As Alya and Nino headed out of the school, bickering between each other and lightly flirting, Adrien hung back slightly and wound his fingers through Marinette's again. Then he pulled her quickly to the left to duck behind a wall.

"A-Adrien, what are you..." Marinette began, a flush once again creeping up her cheeks.

"I wanted to ask you something before we go," Adrien looked down shyly before looking up with a small, sweet smile. Marinette's heart stuttered before resuming its beat at an accelerated pace.

"Marinette," he exhaled, "would you be my girlfriend?" Adrien had barely gotten the words out before he was stumbling slightly under the force of the bluenette launching herself into his arms and wrapping hers around his neck. The blonde was slightly stunned by this show of affection before he warmed in her embrace and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her shoulder and breathing in the scent of bread and cookies and something that was distinctly Marinette.

"Is that a yes?" He laughed, his voice muffled by her coat.

"Yes, yes!" She pulled back and beamed up into his face. They froze when they realised just how close they were. Then a smirk crossed Adrien's lips, the expression so self satisfied, it was pure Chat Noir. He looked like the cat who got the cream. He slowly lowered his face towards hers, pausing briefly as if to ask permission. Marinette blinked slowly up at him, lips slightly parted. Then she brought her hand up and gripped the front of his coat collar, pulling him the rest of the way down to her lips.

It was some minutes before they caught back up with their friends.

Fin


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little semi-sin MariChat for you

Two weeks had passed since Adrien and Marinette had confessed their feelings and become boyfriend and girlfriend, and Marinette was finally sewing together the last part of the dress she had started designing that fateful day by the side of the Seine. It needed to have the detailing done but the form was definitely taking shape. As she was draping it over her mannequin, she heard the familiar thud of feet on her roof. She couldn't help the giddy little dance she did before sobering up and making her way towards the balcony. The boys ego was big enough, he didn't need her to stroke it.

Before she made it over, a head popped through the trap-door, quickly followed by the rest of Chat Noir's leather clad body.

"Good evening, Chat Noir, what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting my princess in her tower," the cat hero explained with a small smirk. "I didn't think I needed a reason."

"Oh, _your_ princess, is it?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm sorry kitty, but I've got a boyfriend now. I don't think he'd be too happy knowing that I had another boy alone in my room with me."

Chat's smile grew wider. _So she wants to play?_

"A boyfriend, hmm?" Chat started to slowly slink towards the bluenette. "So, what's this boyfriend of yours got that I don't?" The corner of his lip curled. "Is he handsome?"

The aspiring designer nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "Very," she replied.

His smile twitched at that. He stalked closer. "Is he as charming as me?" the cat persisted.

"Well, he's a little less flirty and doesn't use as many puns as you," she parried again. _We'll see about that_ , he thought.

"He'd never be able to protect you the way that I can," he stated, sure of himself.

"That might be true," she agreed, "but he would put my life before his." She suddenly realised how close Chat had gotten and started to take a step back. "You probably shouldn't be here," she whispered to him, her heart starting to quicken at the predatory look in Chat's eyes.

"Probably," he agreed, stepping forward as she stepped back, keeping pace with her until she had her back against the wall. One of his hands came to rest on the wall next to her head. He leaned closer but he didn't touch her.

"Do you like him better than me?" Chat queried, still teasing, but with a hint of genuine vulnerability there.

"No, I lo-like you both the same," she sighed, gazing up him with half-lidded eyes, her breath shortening at the look he was giving her. He brushed his thumb down her cheek, gently running it across her bottom lip. The feel of the leather on her sensitive skin made her shiver.

"My b-boyfriend..." she lost track of her train of thought as he started leaning in, brushing his nose against hers, his breath ghosting across her lips.

"What about him?" he asked, his lips brushing hers as he spoke.

"I-I... can't remember..." she admitted, her heart pounding and her breath becoming shallower.

Chat captured her lips in a sweet, chaste kiss and pulled back slightly. Marinette sighed, whimpering gently. She felt more than saw the smirk that crossed his lips before he settled them more firmly against hers, moving them in tandem. With one hand still on the wall, his other came to settle on her hip before he brushed it up her side and wrapped it around her back. He pulled her closer to him so that their chests were flush against each other then pushed her back against the wall.

With one hand now settled on the small of her back, holding her against him, and the other cradling her head, fingers speared through her hair, Chat slanted his lips across hers to deepen the kiss and nipped lightly at her lower lip, gently sucking on it.

Marinette gasped, and Chat quickly took advantage and slipped his tongue into her mouth, his tongue stroking across hers.

In a sudden, bold move that Chat didn't see coming, Marinette hooked one leg around his hip and hoisted herself up so that she was wrapped around his waist. Her impulsive move had him staggering slightly and his hands came to grip under her thighs. Her abrupt height advantage now put her in control and he could feel her grin against him, pulling his lower lip between hers and nipping it before running a soothing tongue across it. He felt a purr rumble in his chest and she drew back with a smug look of satisfaction.

His eyes were glazed as he looked at her flushed cheeks and kiss swollen lips. She had never looked more beautiful.

Chat trailed soft kisses along her jaw and down the column of her throat. When he reached her collar bone he bit down and sucked, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from the bluenette followed by a low moan in the back of her throat.

"Ch-Chat... you need to leave," she murmured, lacking the conviction she needed to make him go.

"Soon enough, Princess, after you've forgotten all about that pretty boy boyfriend of yours," he assured and captured her lips in a kiss again.

"So, remind me," he purred against her lips, "who is it that you love?"

"A-Adrien," she stuttered, and Chat shook his head in mock regret.

"Wrong answer, Princess," he whispered and kissed her again. After several minutes they drew away again, gasping for breath. Chat pressed his forehead to hers.

"Who do you love?"

Marinette panted and licked her bruised, swollen lips.

"You, I love you," she sighed, moving to take his lips again but he drew back slightly.

"Say my name," he urged and pecked her lips, teasing.

"I love you, Chat Noir," came the response and he smiled.

"I love you too, Marinette," he replied and once more pulled her in for a drugging kiss. He let her go, kissing her forehead gently and moved towards the window. Perching on the sill he looked back at her dazed face and plump red lips. His heart was full of love for this girl. Giving her a two fingered salute, he leaped out of the open window.

The stunned bluenette heard her mother calling her from downstairs as she tried to catch her breath back, a blush staining her cheeks red.

"Marinette! Adrien's here!"

_That damn cat!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed my little story


End file.
